Bottom Shelf Bookstore News

March/April 2021 Bottom Shelf Bookstore News Quarantine Issue #6 Tenth Anniversary January marked the tenth Bottom Shelf Day Managers anniversary of the opening 1st, 3rd Monday: Connie Knutson of the new library and the new Bottom Shelf 2nd, 4th, 5th Monday: Linda bookstore! This little reader Lovett was the first customer Tuesday: Sue Billing through the door. Does anyone know who he is and Wed: Debbie Schubarth if he’s still shopping at the Thursday: Violet Hulit Bottom Shelf? He would be Friday: Lynne Barker seventeen or eighteen now. Saturday: Debbie Schubarth Unfortunately, we have no information at this time Volunteer Coordinators about when the store will re- open, but we hope it will be Marilyn Bradley soon. Open position: Contact Sue or Marilyn if you are interested. Happy Easter! The Bottom Shelf Bookstore Date: March 20th* Time: 9:30 - 2:00 Place: Fallbrook Library lower parking lot Cash only! All the voracious readers in Fallbrook have been waiting for a year for The Bottom Shelf to open. But the County hasn’t given us the green light yet. Meanwhile, books have piled up! This sale will give the community a chance to do some Bottom Shelf shopping and give us some relief for our bulging storage facilities! We’ll have adult fiction and nonfiction, children’s books, DVDs and CDs. Look for the *Note: In case of rain, the sale will balloons in the be postponed until Saturday, parking lot. March 27th. P. 2 What I miss about The Bottom Shelf… Gary Smorzewski So, I have been asked to write a few paragraphs about our local second-hand bookstore, The Bottom Shelf. I’ve frequented this establishment quite a bit, since my retirement several years ago. It has been my go-to place to find reading material of all sorts. The staff (all volunteers) are always helpful and gracious, either buying or dropping off books. My favorite section in the entire store is the outside ten-cent racks. Books for ten cents are unheard of, and most if not all, are in excellent shape. On occasion, I have found mysteries, histories, and comic relief in those racks. I was almost addicted to wanting more, stopping by two, sometimes three times a week for reading material. Escultura libras Guadalajara But alas, all good things must end. Now we have been saddled with the pandemic of all pandemics. The shop has been closed, and I am running out of good ole' hardcover books to read. So, I have been reduced to one of the Anne Kreile masses getting new reading material online. You’ve heard of destination weddings? Well, Don't get me wrong, this is a great resource, you have your very own destination spot right in especially since I can make the print as large as The Friendly Village—The Bottom Shelf—maybe I want and get most of the new releases from not for weddings, but for books! favorite authors. But I still miss the holding of printed pages in my hand, not to mention never After 25 years living in Bonsall and Fallbrook, I having to re-charge the paper to continue downsized in a move to San Marcos. Missing reading. Also, I guess you could say I have a my friends and local activities, I made it a low budget mentality because I still have to pay mission to create a new, sociable, vibrant life in $60 a month for internet access to be able to my new town. Among other activities, I joined a read books online. It's not that I'm cheap, just small, neighborhood book club (five of us in retired, and have to watch my budget, but at ten all). We picked a date for a field trip (this is all cents a book, The Bottom Shelf was a pre-Covid) and made a day of it with lunch and godsend. a tour of the library and browsing at TheBottom Shelf. My friends were warmly greeted by the So, let's get it back up and going again, masks volunteers who loved meeting these and all. I will leave you with this, a few words enthusiastic out-of-towners. My gals: smart, from Ray Davies of the Kinks from his song curious, literary all, were amazed to see the “Low Budget.” variety of books—vintage and current—across all genres, at such incredible prices. We all Cheap is small and not too steep agreed that a second visit is in order as soon as But best of all cheap is cheap. it’s safe. Circumstance has forced my hand To be a cut-price person in a low budget land. We'll see you soon, Bottom Shelf! Times are hard, but we'll all survive I just got to learn to economize. And that is shopping at The Bottom Shelf. P. 3 Unusual Book Stores Ann Kreile in her story mentioned a destination to The Bottom Shelf. Now that it’s closed and we’re yearning for a book store fix, take a look at the following examples of inspiring destinations. Some day…. Libreria Acqua Alta in Venice, Italy, is known for its unusual book storage solutions. Visitors can rummage through books kept in bathtubs, boats, and other unusual containers. The nautically-themed bookstore even has a full-sized gondola that floats when the store floods (the name literally means “library of high water”). Mental Floss. Photo: a2zphoto Flicker//cc by -nc 2.0 Selexyz Dominicanen started out as a church 700 years ago. It was closed down by Napoleon Bonaparte, and later reopened as a warehouse, and then as bicycle storage. Finally, it was redesigned as an incredibly beautiful bookstore, perfect for even the most grandiose readers. Selexyz store. Bustle. Photo: Bert Kaufmann Located in Rio de Janeiro, Saraiva Bookstore features a huge book rainbow wrapping around the top level, and it will definitely make you want to color-code your own bookshelves. The rainbow theme runs through the whole store, with plenty of cozy, colorful reading nooks. Mental Floss. Rio store. Photo: Fernando Guerra P. 4 Nancy’s Book Review While the Bottom Shelf has been closed for this past year, don’t think for a minute that our little bookshop is not bringing in money. Yes, with the help of our online team, books are being ordered and shipped all over the country. And this reminds me of a book that I read recently—84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. It’s a book about a woman who has a passion for reading but because she has a problem finding the books she wants, she corresponds with a book shop in London and starts ordering books by mail (not online). But the story is not merely about ordering books, it’s about a 20-year love affair between two people: a brash New York woman and a reserved, modest Englishman. Their relationship spans an ocean, but they never actually meet. This charming book is told in letters between Helene Hanff and Frank Does. She’s elated by the books she receives in her mailbox, even though she’s sometimes critical for the slowness of filling her orders. Frank’s patience is rewarded when Helene, realizing that London is still under a post-war rationing system, sends a mail order box of fresh foods to Marks and Co. The food baskets continue for years and Helene’s generosity leads to a friendship not only with Frank, but his wife and his colleagues as well. I have a special copy of this book which I bought years ago at a garage sale or perhaps at The This is a wonderful book, only Bottom Shelf. When I opened the ninety-six pages, but for book, I found this delightful gift anyone who loves literature inscription. and also appreciates a story about friendship, it’s a real gem. After the book’s publication, an employee in Mel Brook’s company shared the story with him and he immediately purchased it. He saw it as a perfect vehicle for his wife, Ann Bancroft. The film also starred Anthony Hopkins and Judith Dench. The movie cost less than four million dollars to produce and over the years never lost a penny. Here’s the trailer to the film. https://youtu.be/ fs01gT67upE P. 5 The Flowers that bloom in the Spring Tra La It’s spring cleaning time. Are you ready for decluttering your life? In this book, Margareta Magnusson will tell you how it’s done. In Sweden there is a kind of decluttering called döstädning, dö meaning “death” and städning meaning “cleaning.” This surprising and invigorating process of clearing out unnecessary belongings can be undertaken at any age or life stage but should be done sooner than later, before others have to do it for you. In The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, artist Magnusson, with Scandinavian humor and wisdom, instructs readers to embrace minimalism. Her radical and joyous method for putting things in order helps families broach sensitive conversations, and makes the process uplifting rather than overwhelming. Along the way readers get a glimpse into her life in Sweden, and also become more comfortable with the idea of letting go. P. 6 Book Nooks And speaking of spring cleaning and spiffing up your home, how about adding some pizzazz to your bookshelf? There’s a crazy trend going on right now to add what’s called a Book Nook to your library. Book Nooks are like little dioramas that slide between books. You can either purchase one already made or order the supplies to make your own.

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